C O V E R S T O R Y
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The Redeemer of the world was of humble parentage. He, the majesty of heaven, the King of glory, humbled Himself to accept humanity, and then He chose a life of poverty and toil" (p. 9). "He did not associate with the leaders of the nation. He dwelt among the lowly of the earth. To all appearances He was merely a humble man, with few friends" (p. 10). "With Him there is no respect of persons. The attributes that He prizes most are purity and love, and these are possessed only by the Christian" (p. 10). "Those who have a religious experience that opens their hearts to Jesus will not cherish pride, but will feel that they are under obligation to God to be missionaries as was Jesus. They will seek to save that which was lost. They will not, in Pharisaical pride and haughtiness, withdraw themselves from any class of humanity" (p. 10). "I know that that which I now speak will bring me into conflict. This I do not covet, for the conflict has seemed to be continuous of late years; but I do not mean to live a coward or die a coward, leaving my work undone" (p. 10). "Jesus, the Master, was poor, and He sympathizes with the poor, the discarded, the oppressed, and declares that every insult shown to them is as if shown to Himself" (pp. 10, 11). "Those who have spoken harshly to them [Black members] or have despised them have despised the purchase of the blood of Christ, and they need the transforming grace of Christ in their own hearts" (p. 11). "The God of the white man is the God of the black man, and the Lord declares that His love for the least of His children exceeds that of a mother for her beloved child" (pp. 11, 12). "The Lord's eye is upon all His creatures; He loves them all, and makes no difference between white and black, except that He has a special, tender pity for those who are called to bear a greater burden than others" (p. 12). "The black man's name is written in the book of life beside the white man's. All are one in Christ. Birth, station, nationality, or color cannot elevate or degrade men. The character makes the man. If a red man, a Chinaman, or an African gives his heart to God, in obedience and faith, Jesus loves him none the less for his color" (pp. 12, 13). "Those who slight a brother because of his color are slighting Christ" (p. 13). Diversity Principles The universality of Christ's mission and the accessibility of Christ's atonement are for all people (John 3:16; Matt. 28:18). The message of the doctrine of the Incarnation imparts dignity to the humble and poverty-stricken in society (Phil. 2:1-10). The sacrificial condescension of the earthly Jesus is to remind us that Christ chose the outcast and the marginalized for His associates (Phil. 2:7, 8). That God's impartial love impacts racial and ethnic variety is something that only the Christian can model. Tolerance is not an option in Christian race relations. Cross-cultural love is the Christian's privilege (1 John 4:7-12; 1 Cor. 13). The principle of Christian missionary responsibility to the outcast and the less fortunate moves us beyond our homogenous communities. We minister to all because we owe all a debt of service (Rom. 1:14). The principle of Christian courage applies to race relations. It requires courage to love and serve "them" as God loves and serves "us" (2 Tim. 1:7). The act of incarnation means that Christ identifies with the poor and the marginalized. In fact, insults (racial slurs, racial epithets, and race-based jokes) offend Christ (Matt. 25:40). Kindness to the vulnerable "least" among us is, in fact, kindness to Christ (Matt. 25:40). The historicity of the Creation story unites the various races into one family of interdependence (Acts 17:26). The biblical truth is that social inequality attracts God's attention on behalf of the oppressed (Isa. 58:4). A rejection of the social doctrine of the biological inferiority and an affirmation of both biological and spiritual equality. Race as a basis of value is a social construct--it is the fallen invention of humankind (Gal. 3:27, 28). Christ supports and identifies with the outcast (Acts 10:34-38). |
"The Lord
Jesus came to our world to save men and women of all nationalities. He
died as much for the colored people as for the white race" (The
Southern Work, p. 9).
